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Tory wants to speed up construction projects by extending work hours

Mayor John Tory has announced a congestion battle plan that includes speeding up 32 construction projects by extending work hours so closed lanes of traffic can re-open more quickly.

“I continue to be as dedicated as I was on Day One to getting the city moving better than when I found it and better than it is today,” Tory said Thursday standing at the corner of Bay and Wellington Sts.

Demolition crews worked through the night to dismantle a section of the eastbound Gardiner ramp to York/Bay/Yonge that crosses over Simcoe St. The construction triggered noise complaints from nearby residents. (John Hanley / Special to the Star)

Included on the list is Wellington St., where westbound traffic is currently funneled into one lane between Church and York Sts. Construction crews are replacing a 143-year-old water main and TTC tracks followed by road resurfacing and streetscaping.

Tory said that at his “personal request” the “complicated” work will now be completed by August, two months ahead of schedule.

This will require overnight work, but there are few residential condo towers along that section of Wellington, between Church and York Sts., staff said.

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Expediting the work will also add $280,000 to the cost of the project raising it to $6.9 million. Tory called it a “prudent investment of the citizens’ money.”

The city is currently finalizing details on the other 31 projects and there is no overall estimated cost, staff said Thursday.

Last year, the city paid an extra $3.4 million to have maintenance work on the Gardiner Expressway completed four months ahead of schedule. Tory said at the time it was a “modest price to pay” to counter lost productivity caused by snarled traffic.

The city is also using “real-time” data to better manage congestion and staff have completed a site-by-site audit of blocked traffic lanes that facilitate construction.

Tory said he had grown “quite upset” that some lanes were staying closed longer than needed. As a result of the audit, seven lanes have been re-opened and nine more will re-open soon.

Managing road work — and the expectations of Torontonians — is a “delicate balancing act,” Tory acknowledged.

The York-Bay-Yonge eastbound Gardiner Expressway off ramp, which is currently being torn down and replaced, is a case in point.

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“I get as many emails in my office saying, you know, that I’m an idiot for having the ramp torn down,” despite the fact it was obsolete and was potentially dangerous, Tory told reporters.

On the other hand, Tory said he hears from people who say “how dare you, in the course of tearing it down, cause all this noise. So you can’t kind of win either way.”

Last weekend, condo residents living on the edge of the highway complained when the demolition work went all night so crews could safely remove sections above York St.

More overnight work on the eastbound ramp was scheduled during the Victoria Day weekend.

But city staff have worked with the contractor to come up with a solution to avoid further late-night sleep disruption. Next week, the contractor will work up until 11 p.m. and on Friday, York St., between Queen’s Quay to Harbour, will now close at 10 a.m., which is earlier than scheduled.

The entire intersection will close at 1 p.m. until 11 p.m. Monday, which is a holiday.

Transportation staff acknowledged that the earlier road closures next Friday will cause a “moderate increase in traffic delays,” though traffic is expected to be lighter over the holiday weekend.

Battling congestion, but without investment in transit, “as the city grows it’s hard to keep up with it and transit is the only way we’re going to make really meaningful, significant, long-term improvements.”

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